Sunrise host Samantha Armytage blasts Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over border closure
Sunrise host Samantha Armytage this morning declared that she wants to “have it out” with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, saying her “blood’s boiling” over the border closure. WATCH THE VIDEO
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Sunrise host Samantha Armytage has lashed out at Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk over the Queensland border closure.
During an interview on the Channel 7 breakfast show this morning, Armytage said her “blood’s boiling”, adding she wanted to “have it out” with Ms Palaszczuk if she would agree to come on the show.
Her comments came during an interview with Moree Plains Mayor Katrina Humphries, who is pleading with the Queensland Government to open the border after a fire ripped through the NSW border town of Mungindi and left them without access to a supermarket or butcher unless they leave their border bubble.
“My blood’s boiling because of a lot of things she’s (Palaszczuk’s) done lately,” Armytage interjected.
“You guys have now got no supermarket, no butcher, no food, basically. She won’t come on the show. I’m happy to have it out with her. I’m fed up with what’s going on in NSW.”
“She won’t take Gladys Berejiklian’s phone calls, so I don’t think she’ll take ours.”
Armytage said she had friends in the Moree area and was concerned about their future.
“I know we’re all in this together … I know we have to stop the spread of this virus, but there’s some really silly decisions and dangerous and deadly decisions being made against good people purely because of politics,” she said.
The NSW Government has pledged $100,000 in emergency funding to build a temporary store in Mungindi after the fire destroyed the town’s only supermarket and butcher.
Ms Humphries said she had tried to contact the Queensland Government for the last three weeks to discuss the town’s ongoing issues accessing supplies without leaving the border bubble, which would then preclude them from going into Queensland to access medical care and supplies.
“We’ve been hung up on, we’ve been sworn at and no one has returned our calls, so it’s really very ordinary, its unnecessary, it’s cruel,” she said.
“Please stop being so heartless. We don’t vote for you … but please open the borders.”
“You are punishing people who do not need to be punished. It’s un-Australian.”
When contacted by The Courier-Mail, a Queensland Government spokesperson said: “Queensland Health will work with the community of Mungindi to provide them with whatever support is required to access essential services during this difficult time for the town. Mungindi is within the New South Wales side of the border zone so residents can access the Queensland side of the border zone.”
